Broken Without Yuu (Bloom Into You)
by Erza-Senpai
Summary: Touko seems different today, she seems almost inattentive, and completely unalike her normal self. What will Yuu do to help? (P.s. I spelled You wrong on purpose in the title :) P.s. Prepare for a Sickfic!
1. Chapter 1 •

Yuu's P.O.V.

I walked to the student council room after school like always, the bright sunlight slightly burning my eyes due to my failed attempt to block out the rays with my hand. I let out a small sigh as I looked back down to my feet. I kept my gaze down on my feet for so long I barely noticed that I had approached the student council room.

"Hey, Koito-san," Sayaka said, smiling lightly as she waved to me. "The boys aren't able to make it today, so it looks like we're all here," she continued.

I looked over to Touko, who, oddly enough, barely even noticed that I had arrived. She had a drowsy appearance and tired eyes with her gaze fixated on the wall. I tried to catch her attention with a question of my own.

"What are the plans for today, Nanami-senpai," I asked. She continued looking at the wall, so distracted by something that she didn't even hear me. I approached her, lightly waving my hand in front of her face.

"Senpai?" I asked as I continued to block her gaze with my hand, and only this brought her out of her trance. She looked up at me with tired eyes and a confused expression on her face.

"What are today's plans?" I repeated again.

"I… I have to get something… from the library in the other room. Then, we'll take some paperwork back to… to the main building. And that's it, I… I think," Touko replied quietly, almost in a loud whisper. She only stuttered a bit, but even that much was unlike her. Sayaka approached the two of us, concern painted on her face.

"Are you feeling okay, Touko? You seem pretty lethargic," Sayaka asked, lightly placing a hand on Touko's shoulder. She leaned into the touch, placing her hand on top of Sayaka's.

"Yes, I… I'm fine," she muttered hesitantly, making it obvious that she was lying to us. She shakily stood up, her legs wobbling slightly as she slowly walked towards the back of the student council room where the library was located.

"Where are you going," I asked. She turned her head back to me as she replied.

"I'm getting the book now. We should get all of our work finished quickly so we can leave early today," Touko replied in a very un-demanding and quiet tone, very different from how she usually spoke to us.

"Touko, wait!" Sayaka called out, but it was too late. She had already walked into the library closing the door behind her. I turned my head towards her.

"Saeki-senpai, is she okay?" I asked. Sayaka shrugged lightly.

"I don't know. Touko's been pretty drowsy all day. She even feel asleep at her desk during our lunch break," she replied, shaking her head lightly.

"I hope she's not getting sick. What would the student council even be able to do without her!" I exclaimed. Sayaka sighed as she looked down to the ground.

"I guess I'd have to take over for the time being. Although, I'm not very fond of that idea," she said, muttering the last part.

I went to reply but then suddenly, we heard a crashing noise followed by a loud, high-pitched yelp of pain coming from the library. Sayaka and I simultaneously bolted towards the library, almost in sync. As we approached, I slammed open the door almost violently.

Looking around the room, it was obvious Touko had fallen off a ladder trying to grab a book from the top shelf. The ladder she had used was laying sideways on the ground. She was sitting slouched against the wall, her hand pressed against her forehead as she panted heavily.

Sayaka and I both ran towards her, calling out her name.

"Nanami-senpai, are you alright? What happened?" I asked frantically, gripping her hand and entangling our fingers.

"Yeah, I'll… I'll be fine," she muttered between gasps of breath.

"You don't sound very convincing," Sayaka said, sitting on the ground next to her. "What happened?"

"It's nothing, really. I, I tried getting a book from the top shelf, and then I… I got dizzy… and fell off."

"That doesn't sound like nothing to me!" I exclaimed. "Did you hit your head?"

Touko stared at me blankly for a second before realizing her hand was still pressed against her forehead. She pulled it away quickly.

"No I, well… yes… I did. But, I'm fine!" She looked up at both of us with a sad smile.

"Thank you, for worrying about me," she muttered.

I stood up quickly and reached my hand out to help her up. Touko grabbed my hand tightly as she shakingly got to her feet. Sayaka stood on the other side her her and gripped her other hand, so if she fell again, we'd both be able to catch her.

We walked back to the table we had been sitting at before, and helped Touko sit down before taking our usual seats. I began to do my homework as Sayaka began typing something on her laptop, and Touko sat hunched over with her head resting on the table.

A few minutes later, Sayaka got up from her seat and grabbed the paperwork we had yet to bring to the main building. She stood in the doorway, waving the papers in the air.

"How about we all go bring these together. That is, if you're up for it, Touko," she said, the last part obviously directed towards Touko.

I popped out of my chair quickly and walked over to Sayaka. To my surprise, Touko got up pretty quickly as well. Once she got to us, I lightly placed my hand on her arm and looked up at her with concern.

"Are you sure you'll be okay, senpai? Don't push yourself," I cautioned, gazing up at her, checking for any signs on doubt or uncertainty in her eyes, but I found none.

Soon after, Touko shied away from my touch, and I retracted my hand slowly. She had a slightly annoyed look on her face, but a slight smile as well.

"You're both overreacting! I'm perfectly fine, stop worrying so much," Touko said reassuringly, trying to seem annoyed with us, but the tiniest of smiles that tugged at the corner of lips proved otherwise.

"Well… let's go then, shall we?" Sayaka said, with one foot already through the doorway. I nodded and followed her out, as Touko followed behind me. Sayaka slowed her pace a bit until we both caught up with her, and were walking in a straight line.

We had small conversations, talking about mostly trivial things as we walked. Everything was going well, or at least nothing had happened that was out of the ordinary. That is, until we were about halfway to the main building.

As we were walking, Touko's foot got caught onto a twig on the ground, and she fell forward onto her knees. She slouched over and pressed her hand against her forehead, panting heavily.

"Senpai, are you okay?" I asked, kneeling beside her. "Do you feel dizzy again?"

"No, I… I just tripped," she muttered quietly.

"Are you sure, do you need to go home early?" Sayaka asked, concern lacing her voice.

"Yes, I'm… I'm fine," she reassured, her gaze remaining down at her feet.

She started to stand up, but her legs began wobbling as she fainted forward. She spun in the air as she fell, her back hit the ground with a loud 'thud.'

"Touko!" Sayaka shouted, running towards where Touko lay unconscious on the floor, her face flushed and getting paler by the second as she desperately gasped for air. I walked over to them and placed the back of my hand on Touko's forehead.

"I think she has a fever, she's burning up," I exclaimed, looking at Sayaka sadly.

"What should we do with her, Saeki-senpai. It's after school hours, so the nurse would've left already," I asked frantically.

"Let's take her back to the student council room," she replied, still not looking up at me, her gaze remaining on Touko.

"But how are we supposed to get her there?" I asked, slowly standing up.

"I'll carry her," Sayaka replied, cracking her knuckles lightly. My eyes widened at the thought of that.

"How are you going to pull that off!?" I asked, genuinely concerned about all of this.

What if she drops Touko! What if Sayaka pulls her back out trying to carry her?

During all of my frantic and probably pointless worrying, I hadn't noticed Touko was already in Sayaka's arms, being carried bridal-style.

"See, now that wasn't so hard, was it?" She asked sarcastically as we both started walking back to the council room.

"I guess not, but I'm surprised you're able to carry her, Saeki-senpai. You must be very strong," I said, smiling at her.

"No, not really," she replied. "Touko's exceedingly light, it's kind of concerning."

After that, we didn't talk much on the walk back. I spent most of the time looking at Touko, my eyes locked on her beautiful, long eyelashes. I silently prayed that her eyes would open again soon, longing for her to gaze at me lovingly with that familiar wide smile of hers painted across her face.

When we returned to the student council room, Sayaka laid her down on the floor, placing her school bag and under Touko's head as a makeshift pillow.

We both kneeled on either side of her, desperately searching for any signs of movement that could prove she was waking up.

After what seemed like an eternity, but was probably only half an hour or so, Touko's eyelashes began to twitch lightly. Her eyes slowly opened, remaining half-lidded.

**_Hi there! Thanks for reading my story, and I hope you enjoyed it! I'll try to get the next chapter up fairly soon, but sry if it takes a while. Feel free to leave critisism, I would love to hear any ways I can improve. Thanks again, bye!_**


	2. Chapter 2

**_(Still Yuu's P.O.V.)_**

After what seemed like an eternity, but was probably only half an hour or so, Touko's eyelashes began to twitch lightly. Her eyes slowly opened, remaining half-lidded.

"Touko! You're awake!" Sayaka cheered. I felt a small smile tug at my lips as a rush of relief washed over me.

"Wh… what, h… happened?" Touko asked faintly, looking up at the ceiling with tired, glossy eyes.

"We were all walking to the school building, and then you fainted. I think you have a fever," I replied, lightly brushing her bangs to the side before pressing my hand onto her forehead once again. Once we made contact, she closed her eyes gently and let out a small sigh, as if she was savoring my touch. Because of this, I kept my hand on her head, calmingly stroking her sweltering hot skin.

Sayaka gripped Touko's hand, squeezing it lightly to get her attention. Once Touko cracked her eyes open slightly and looked up at her, Sayaka let go of her hand and began to stand up.

"I'm going to head home now. I'll bring the paperwork over to main building, so don't worry about that," Sayaka said, walking towards the doorway. Once she was in the threshold of the door, she turned back to us.

"Feel better, Touko," She said, smiling sadly.

"Th… thanks," Touko muttered. "Th… thank you… for everything, Sayaka."

"Of course! See you tomorrow," she said before walking out if the door. Touko turned her attention back to me, as I took my hand off of her forehead, stringing my fingers through her hair instead.

"We should probably get going too," I offered, smiling down at her lightly.

"Y… yeah, we should," she replied in a weak whisper. She began to sit up slowly, but her legs started trembling when she attempted to stand. I grabbed her arm and draped it over my shoulder before wrapping my arm around her waist to help her get up.

"Can you walk?" I asked once we were both standing.

"I… think so," she muttered in reply.

Touko stumbled a bit with every step, but with most of her weight shifted onto me she was able to remain standing.

We were stopped in front of the train crossing that we always passed through on the walk home. The train had went past as the gates began to open again. Everyone who had been waiting at the gate continued walking across the tracks to their destinations.

But we remained stationary, not making any progress forward, because Touko stood still. The only motion she made was used to shift more of her weight onto me.

"You can't stop in the middle of a walkway, senpai. C'mon, let's keep going," I encouraged, trying to avoid the weird stares from everyone else around.

"I… I can't," she mumbled, throwing her other arm over my shoulder and gripping my jacket with trembling hands as she embraced me tightly.

"Why, what's wrong?" I asked with genuine concern and worry.

"I… I can't feel… my… legs," she muttered. Her grip around me loosened as she slipped into a sitting position on the ground, breathing heavily.

"What do you mean? Does it hurt?" I asked frantically, kneeling beside her on the ground.

"No… no, I don't feel anything. I… I can't move," she muttered, gazing down at the ground with a sorrowful expression on her face. I gently reached over and placed my hand on her shoulder, squeezing it comfortingly.

"How are we going to get home," I murmured, just loud enough to be audible. Touko looked to the side as a slight blush painted her cheeks.

"You… could carry me," she offered, in a dull whisper.

"N… no, I can't! What if I dropped you, what if…"

My words were cut of as Touko swiftly turned towards me, gripping my hand and squeezing it tightly as she gazed up at me. Her eyes were still just as glossy and tired as before, if not more so. But there was also, limitless determination, which, as much as I tried to, I couldn't ignore.

"Alright, I'll try… I guess," I said as a wide smile grew on my face. Touko rested her head on my chest and started panting heavily, as if that whole ordeal had been immensely tiring to her.

I slipped one arm behind her back and the other under her legs before standing up and carrying her bridal-style in my arms, just like Sayaka had done earlier. Touko wrapped both of her arms around my neck and leaned her head against my shoulder, closing her eyes as she proceeded to fall asleep.

_Sayaka was right, Touko's concerningly light. Especially considering the fact that she's a grade older than me._

I continued the usual walk back to my house with Touko in my arms, struggling to avoid the uncomfortable stares from the strangers who were also walking around the neighborhood.

After a while I finally reached home, where I was greeted by my mother like usual, who had a look of concern and confusion on her face when she saw Touko in my arms.

"Welcome home, Yuu," she greeted with her natural cheerful voice. "What's the matter with Nanami-san."

"She has a fever, so I brought her here. Is that alright?" I asked, looking down at Touko longingly. My mother just nodded, watching with concern as I made my way up the stairs to my room.

Once I entered my room, I placed the ailing Touko onto my bed, gently draping my most lightweight blanket over her. I then grabbed a small towel and soaked it in cold water before lightly brushing Touko's bangs aside and placing it on her forehead. She let out a gentle, thin sigh before her eyes cracked open slightly.

"K… Koito… san?" She muttered in confusion as she glanced up at me.

"You're awake!" I said cheerfully. "How do you feel?"

"Wh… where… am I?" She asked quietly, ignoring my question as her eyes slowly wandered around the room.

"You're in my room, senpai. I couldn't let you head home by yourself, you could barely walk," I exclaimed, taking the cloth off of her forehead and looking down at her with a cheerful smile.

Touko's gaze wandered back to the ceiling before she gently closed her eyes and let out a long, yet unsteady sigh. Her breathing slowed just a bit until she seemingly fell asleep.

"Thank you, for… for taking care… of me, K… koito-san," she muttered just before falling unconscious.

I sat down at my desk and started to do homework again. I didn't even realize how much time had passed, but the sun was already starting to set when I heard a light knock on my door.

"Come in," I muttered In a slightly annoyed tone. Touko stirred a bit in her sleep before gently opening her eyes and turning her attention to the door. Expecting it to be my sister, coming to ask me for something as usual, I was surprised to see my mother walk through the door instead.

"Sorry to disturb you," she said, walking through the door and closing it behind her.

"You came to ask Nanami-senpai to leave, right?" I asked nonchalantly, not bringing my gaze up from my work. Touko lightly turned her head and peered over at me longingly.

"No, just the opposite!" My mother exclaimed, walking towards my bed where Touko laid, a confused expression still painting her flushed, pale face.

"Would you like to stay here for the night, Nanami-san? It wouldn't be right for us to have you walk home in the dark, especially since you're not feeling well," she offered graciously.

"N… No, I couldn't!" Touko blurted as she shot up into a sitting position in bed. Soon after, she started breathing heavily, attempting but failing to take one long, deep breath before laying back down.

"I think it would be best," I said, walking over and sitting on the edge of the bed, looking down at her longingly. My mother left us and walked over to my door.

"Yuu, dinner will be ready soon. Will you be eating with us, Nanami-san?" She asked once reaching the threshold of the doorway.

"No… thank you. I'm… I'm not very hungry," Touko muttered in a whisper-like tone.

"I'll just make you tea then, alright?" My mother asked, grabbing the door handle, preparing to leave.

"… okay," Touko mumbled almost incoherently. My mother closed the door lightly behind her as she exited the room.

Touko slowly sat up until her head was leaning against the wall behind my bed, and I scooted over a bit so I was sitting next to her, with our arms were brushing against one another. She leaned over and rested her head onto my shoulder, her warm breath and sweltering skin nearly burning my neck as she fell asleep once again.

We sat like this for a while until I heard my sister call out that dinner was ready. I gripped Touko's hand gently to wake her, and she looked up at me slightly without lifting her head from my shoulder.

"Dinner's ready, Nanami-senpai," I said as cheerfully as I could muster, which in reality wasn't very cheerful at all.

"Ah… alright," she muttered, finally lifting her head off my shoulder. I popped up off the bed before reaching my hand hand out to help her up. She gripped it tightly and shakily got to her feet, but to my surprise, was actually able to stand.

As we walked I continued to hold onto her hand, but it was used more as a guide and less to keep her balanced. Besides stumbling a few times, she managed to stay relatively upright.

"You seem to be doing better," I said, breaking the silenced tension we were currently in.

"Why's… that," she muttered.

"Well, you're walking… I guess," I said nervously, unsure of where I had assumed this conversation would actually leave. Luckily, we were in my dining room soon after, so I didn't have to worry about continuing it.

Once we approached the dining room table, I pulled out a chair for Touko and helped her sit before taking the seat next to her. My sister Rei sat next to me on my other side, smiling lightly at me when I sat down.

I began to dig into my food as Touko lifted her teacup with two hands, trying to stop it from shaking. Even so, it wouldn't stay steady in her hands, and a bit dripped down onto her fingers, causing her to lightly hiss in pain.

"Careful, don't burn yourself," I said, reaching over and placing my hand over hers on the cup to steady it, and allowing her to take a sip before guiding her hands to set it down on the table.

"Th… thank… you," she muttered softly.

My family sat in a strange silence while eating, which got more awkward and unbearable by the second. Luckily, my mother spoke to me and Rei, and ended it.

"Can one of you take out the trash tonight, please?" She asked.

"Not me," we both shouted in sync before lightly growling at each other.

"Figure it out, you two," she said, not wanting anything to do with this. I looked back at my sister with a pissed-off expression on my face, the same one was on hers.

"We could play rock-paper-scissors," Rei said, holding her hand out in a fist shape. I narrowed my eyes at her.

"You're so immature. But, we might as well," I responded, proceeding to hold my hand out in a fist as well. I heard a muffled whimper from Touko but I decided to ignore it.

As Rei and I begun playing, I heard Touko let out a much louder whimper than before. I looked over to her as she brought her hands up and buried her face into them, a few tears dripping from her eyes.

"Senpai, what's wrong?" I asked, reaching my hand out and placing it on her shoulder lightly. Soon after, she backed away from my touch, before standing up and backing away from the table.

"P… please… excuse me," Touko muttered as she rushed into my room, closing the door behind her. Without even saying anything, I got up and followed her.

When I entered my room, I saw Touko sitting on my bed, hugging her knees to her chest as she sobbed heavily.

"Koito… san? Why'd you, f…follow me?" She asked between sobs, peeking a glance up at at me before hiding her face behind her hands again.

"How could I not? I was worried about you," I replied, sitting down next to her and wrapping my arms around her lightly. She tensed up a bit before slightly relaxing into the embrace.

"So, what's wrong?" I asked after a few quiet moments passed. The only thing keeping it from being entirely silent was the faint sounds of sobbing muffled behind Touko's shaking hands.

"It doesn't matter," she muttered in response.

"Well, it matters to me, Nanami-senpa— no… Touko, Touko-senpai," I said, cutting myself off as I last minute decided to use her first name. I figured hearing it would calm her down, somehow. The tiniest of smiles that tugged at the side of her lips proved me right, but it quickly faded back into sadness.

"C'mon senpai, you can tell me. You'll feel better about it if you talk to someone," I continued, holding her tighter as another loud sob escaped her mouth.

"Okay… I'll try… to explain," she muttered quietly, bringing her hands down to her sides, but instead burying her face into her legs, with her knees still hugged against her chest.

Touko went to begin explaining, but the words got caught in her mouth, the only thing coming out was a weak, quiet sob as her body tensed up a bit. I tightened my arms around her waist, reaching out for her hands and holding them, tightly squeezing them in mine. She relaxed into my arms and let out a small, unsteady sigh, and then drew in another thin breath before speaking.

"I… I'm okay. It's just… the way you… you acted, with your sister. It… reminded me of how my sister and I acted, before she… died," she said in a whisper-like tone, her voice cracking on the last word.

"What do you… mean, by that?" I asked with slight nervousness in my voice. "What, happened?"

"The day she died… it was just like what just happened between you and your sister. My mother asked us to run an errand, and we fought over who would do it. I ultimately won, and… and she was hit by a car… when she went out. I… I never got to see her again… before she died."

Touko sobbed much harder than before now, slightly wailing as she broke down into waterfalls of tears. I felt useless, I couldn't think of any way to help her. She had basically just spilled out all of her bottled up, torturous memories right in front of me.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, she turned around quickly to face me before throwing her arms around my waist, gently crying into my shoulder. My shirt was now soaked with her tears, but I didn't mind. If it calms her down, being this close to me, who was I to push her away.

"It's my fault, Yuu. I'm the reason she's—"

"Shh. Don't blame yourself. It's not your fault, senpai," I said in calming tone, cutting her off. I began stroking my fingers through her hair gently, as I grabbed her hand as I lightly caressed the inside of her palm.

We sat like this for what seemed like forever as I just continued to string my fingers through Touko's hair, unsure of any way to help ease her pain. Each time I thought she had calmed down, another tear dripped onto my shoulder to prove me wrong.

After a while, Touko lifted her head off of my shoulder lightly, revealing her puffy red eyes and tear-stained cheeks, and the slightest bit of sweat rolling down her forehead from the fever that still persisted. Her tears had slowed but her unsteady, quickened breathing still remained, it was almost worse.

"Senpai, I know it's early, but we should probably go to bed now," I said, continuing to stroke through her hair with my fingers. She nodded slightly before leaning back onto the bed, closing her her eyes gently once her head hit the pillow.

"I'll sleep on the floor, okay?" I asked. Touko gave no response, so I took that as a yes and started to climb off the bed. But before I could, she grabbed my wrist, squeezing it tightly.

"No… Yuu, p… please, stay," she muttered, her voice shaking as she heaved in unstable breaths.

"Are you sure?!" I asked, slowly climbing back onto the bed.

"Y… y… yes," she murmured, her voice breathy and muted. The usual highlights in her eyes were dimmed and almost non-existent. But her eyes soon closed, her eyelashes fluttering as they did.

I slowly laid down next to her, trying to keep my distance for Touko's sake, it would probably overwhelm her if I got too close. I had almost fallen asleep when I heard a light whimper from the other side of the bed, and looked over to see Touko's eyes tightly squeezed shut, as if she were in pain. She was also shivering slightly, and her cheeks were painted a deep shade of pink.

"What's wrong, senpai? You look miserable," I said, sitting up slightly to inch closer to her, before laying down beside her again.

"My… my head. It… it feels like, s… someone's crushing it, in their f… fist," she mumbled, her eyes remaining tightly shut.

"That bad?" I asked, boundless concern concern lacing my voice.

Her only reply was a muffled grunt of pain, as her trembling hand slowly reached up towards her head. However, her weakened, trembling arm soon gave out, causing it to flop back down onto the bed.

I reached over and began gently massaging her temples. The pained expression on her face faded away slightly as she let a thin, feeble sigh escape her lips. She slowly turned onto her side facing me, and we inched closer until her head was resting on my chest.

"Mm… I love…you, Yuu," she mumbled before sleep took over her. I felt a gentle smile tug at my lips as my arms drifted to wrap around her waist.

"Good night, Touko-Senpai."

**_Hi, I hope you enjoyed chapter two. Also, thank you to everyone for the the kind comments about this story. I really appreciated it. _**

**_Also, special thanks to @Lion01 for reviewing my story. It made me so happy to see that, and if you could review this chapter as well that would be immensely appreciated too!_**

**_On that note, please feel free to review this story so far. It would be greatly appreciated, I would love to get criticism and learn how to be better. _**

**_Thanks for reading, bye!_**


	3. Chapter 3

I woke up the next morning to the light sound of Touko's rapid breathing, confused at first to find my arms wrapped around her. My confusion quickly faded, as the events of last night replayed in my head.

I gently unwrapped my arms from around Touko, being extremely careful not to wake her. She stirred in her sleep a bit, gently turning onto her back, but she never woke up entirely.

I silently began gathering my things to ready myself for the school day. I took all of the books off my desk and gently slid them into my school bag, attempting to be extra quiet to not wake Touko.

This plan soon failed, however, as I mistakenly and clumsily caused a textbook to slide off my desk, a loud '_thud_' ringing through the room as it hit the floor. I quickly looked over to Touko, who's eyes were slowly cracking open, remaining half-lidded as she gazed over at me.

"Good morning, Touko-senpai," I said, approaching my bed and sitting on the edge of it beside her. "Feeling any better?"

"Mmm? Yes… a little," she murmured, lightly rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as she sat up slowly.

I reached over and gently pressed my hand against her forehead, caressing it slightly as I did. Her skin was still fairly warm, but not nearly as sweltering as last night. I smiled to myself slightly, content with knowing that she wasn't in nearly as much distress as yesterday.

"What're you smiling at?" Touko asked, mildly narrowing her eyes at me.

"It's… it's nothing," I said, looking to the side, hiding the slight smile that still refused to leave.

Touko gently reached over and draped her arm over my shoulder, sighing lightly as she seemingly questioned if she should rest her head onto me. She ultimately decided not to, as she reluctantly removed her hand from my shoulder.

I slowly stood up from the bed, walking towards my desk to grab my school bag from where it rested on the ground beside it. Touko hesitantly followed me, grabbing hers as well.

I walked down the staircase of our home, passing through the bookstore before exiting to the outside, Touko following about a step behind me all the while. I walked a bit slower, aware that she most likely would've had trouble keeping up otherwise.

I hadn't realized my mother had followed us out, not that I was surprised by it.

"Have a nice day at school you two," she said, waving, as her eyes wandered between us both. Touko just waved back politely and smiled slightly, as if there was nothing wrong with my mother's earlier statement. I narrowed my eyes at her slightly.

"You're not going to school, right?" I asked, knowing that the logical, level-headed answer should be yes. But, of course this wasn't the case.

"I have to! I can't miss a day, and I have to do announcements before the schoolwide assembly this afternoon too! It would be irresponsible to go home," she said, a matter-of-factly tone lacing her still abnormally hushed voice. I didn't even attempt to argue, she's usually so stubborn there'd most likely be no point.

I just hope her condition doesn't worsen throughout the day, though.

I turned to start walking to school, Touko following closely behind at first but soon catching up to walk beside me. After walking for a bit I asked what I imagined to be a simple question, just as an attempt to start a conversation and nothing more.

"Hey, did you ever let your parents know where you were last night? I don't remember if—"

My words were cut off as Touko stopped walking, her eyes extremely widened as she just barely stopped herself from cursing under her breath. A trembling hand reached into her school bag, pulling out her phone to reveal what was probably hundreds of missed calls or texts from her worried family.

She looked over to me with a slightly serious expression painting her face, but it soon transformed into a slight smile, a nervous giggle also escaping her lips. I let myself smile back lightly, finding this whole situation pretty amusing as well.

Touko soon turned her gaze back to her phone, hovering her thumb over the call button on her mother's contact, but being hesitant to press it. I gently reached over, placing my hand on her shoulder and lightly squeezing it.

"Just call her, senpai. I'm sure she's worried sick!" I exclaimed, glancing up at her in a failed attempt to make eye contact, as her gaze remained fixed on her phone.

"Mm, you're… right," she muttered in slight defeat before slowly tapping the green call button on her phone. A dial tone began as she held the phone up to her ear, followed by a muffled voice, just loud enough to be distinguished but too quiet to make out any words.

"Hi mom. Yes, I'm fine. Well…"

Touko proceeded to explain yesterday afternoon's and night's events in the most sincere yet stern voice she could muster, assumingly trying to sound better that she actually felt to minimize any worry.

"Well… I felt rather drowsy all day yesterday, but I didn't think much of it. Then, I fainted during student council, and was running a pretty high fever, so I spent the night at friend's house who lived closer to the school. I probably wouldn't have been able to make it home myself."

Touko tilted her head closer to her phone, now seemingly listening to something being said on the other side of the line. I finally removed my hand from her shoulder, only for Touko to reach up, gripping my hand tightly and entangling our fingers before turning her attention back to her phone call.

"I'm truly sorry for not contacting you sooner, I was so lethargic I guess I forgot about it entirely. No, I can still go to school today, don't worry I'll be fine! Alright, see you tonight, bye."

Touko hung up her phone, sliding into the side pocket of her school bag and sighing thinly, before looking over at me with a light smile. I smiled back at her, squeezing her palm a little tighter as we continued to walk to school hand in hand.

As we approached the school building, I cautiously let go Touko's hand, getting a curious glance from her.

"What's wrong, Yuu?" She asked, very slightly whimpering at our loss of contact.

"We're already here," I replied nonchalantly, gesturing with my hand towards the school building in front of us.

"Oh… right," she said, looking to the side a bit to avoid eye contact, seemingly embarrassed about this.

Sayaka had soon spotted Touko and I, walking at an accelerated pace towards us. I was expecting her to at least mention something about the fact that we had came together, but her mind was worried about something else entirely.

"I wasn't expecting you to show up today, Touko. Koito-san shouldn't have let you," she said, the last part directed towards me with a scolding tone in her voice.

"Don't chastise her, Sayaka," Touko exclaimed, chuckling lightly. "She did tell me to stay home, but I insisted."

"Well, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't glad to see you," Sayaka muttered to herself, not

intending it to be audible enough for me or Touko to hear.

The bell soon rang, putting and end to our conversation. We all said our goodbyes before heading in separate directions to our respected classrooms.

The rest of the morning went just as a typical one would go, the time passing slowly but surely until it was finally time for the schoolwide assembly. Assemblies like these are always so pointless and repetitive in my opinion: they always start with Touko by announcing upcoming events for the school, and then there's some mundane presentation. Even so, being part of the student council means I can't say things like this out loud, I have to represent the school.

I entered the gymnasium where the assembly was being held and sat down on the row of chairs set up along the side for the student council.

Sayaka and Touko arrived just short of a minute later, Touko sitting next to me and Sayaka sitting on the other side of her. Touko slumped forward in her chair, gazing down at her feet with tired eyes, her face considerably paler than it had been this morning.

"You okay, senpai? You look almost as bad as yesterday," I exclaimed, gently placing my hand onto hers, which was slightly trembling from where in reaped on her lap.

"Her condition has been worsening all day. This is why you should've stayed home Touko," Sayaka said, sighing lightly.

"Do you feel warm?" I asked, reaching up to place my hand on her forehead. Touko leaned back as she shied away from my touch.

"I'm fine! You both worry too much," Touko said in a hushed yet, still slightly threatening voice.

"If I'm not mistaken, that's exactly what you told us yesterday. And look where that landed you," Sayaka said with mild sarcasm, but limitless concern nonetheless.

I tried to say something, but my words were cut off as the principle walked up to the podium, politely asking asking the student body for silence. A few quick things were said before those dreaded words left our principal's mouth.

"And now, some announcements from our student council president, Nanami Touko-san."

Touko shakingly got to her feet, as I watched with a worried expression. As she began walking forward, Sayaka gripped her hand, stopping her in her tracks as she turned her head back towards us.

"Are you sure you'll be alright? I can do it for you, it's not a problem," Sayaka asked, almost desperately, as if she knew something unfortunate would happen.

"Yes, I'll be perfectly fine," Touko said, almost allowing herself to smile lightly. "But, thank you… for worrying about me."

"What kind of friend would I be if I wasn't worried?" Sayaka replied, as more of a rhetorical question. She gently squeezed Touko's palm before reluctantly letting go of her hand.

Touko shot back one last genuine smile to Sayaka, then to my surprise, turned to me with the same expression, before walking towards the podium. She walked with her chin up and with perfect posture. Sayaka and I knew it was obviously faked, but she was effectively fooling the rest of the student body into thinking she was perfectly healthy.

As Touko stepped up onto the podium, her shoulders stiffened and she struggled to keep the usual perfect posture she would normally have. She drew in a deep, yet feeble breath before beginning to speak. Sayaka and I watched her anxiously, both of us sharing the same worry and fear.

For the first few sentences Touko seemed relatively fine, maybe a few pauses here and there, but they were only noticeable if someone had been specifically searching for mistakes.

That is, until it got worse, and worse. Slowly, but exponentially worsening, until she couldn't say a single word without stuttering somehow. Between each word, she was gasping for air desperately, and gripping the podium with all of her strength to keep herself standing.

I looked at her closer, staring deep into Touko's eyes. They were filled with unimaginable terror and fear. It made me wonder if this was caused by some sort of nervous breakdown or panic attack rather than her fever.

It took awhile for me to even realized that her eyes were slowly closing, once I finally did it was too late.

Touko's eyes slid shut as she fell backwards off the podium. A loud 'thud' rang through the room, the sound of her head hitting the solid wood floor beneath her.

The entire room had gone silent, and no one dared to break it. I sat completely motionless, my eyes widened in shock. I couldn't help but blame myself for this, there's no denying that I'm at least indirectly the one to blame. None of this would've happened if I'd just tried to fight against Touko's stubbornness this morning. _This is all my fault._

**_Hi again! Sry this chapter took so long to update, I've had finals and stuff ahhh, but I'm back! Also, sry if this chapter sucks compared to the previous ones, I haven't had very much time to write so it's pretty sloppy in my opinion. _**

**_Also, I'm sry for continuing to torture poor Touko. I think her torture is over though, unless I get other ideas..._**

**_Don't forget to favorite and follow, and please review. (Plz I need it :)_**

**_I hope you enjoyed the chapter and see you next chapter (which is hopefully sooner than this one :)_**


	4. Chapter 4

The entire room had gone silent, and no one dared to break it. I sat completely motionless, my eyes widened in shock. I couldn't help but blame myself for this, there's no denying that I'm at least indirectly the one to blame. None of this would've happened if I'd just tried to fight against Touko's stubbornness this morning. This is all my fault.

I continued to just sit motionless as time felt like it had stopped. I muted out the loud mutters ringing through the room, to the point where they were barely even existent in my mind.

I wasn't sure how long it'd been, most likely only a few seconds, before Sayaka broke this motionless state I was in. She gripped my wrist tightly, forcefully dragging me up off my seat and running towards Touko, pulling me behind her. I was surprised that she thought of me at all in this situation, you'd think Touko would be the only thing in her mind.

As we approached the front of the room, Sayaka kneeled down to the floor beside Touko. I was about to do the same but Sayaka had already scooped Touko up into her arms, holding her with the same fragility, and almost tenderness as yesterday. It almost made me jealous, as much as I'd hate to admit that.

Sayaka walked out of the gym at a slightly quicker pace that a normal walk, I followed a slight bit behind her until we exited the room, and then I caught up to walk beside her.

For the duration of the entire walk we were both silent, I was still too in shock to say anything, and part of me was scared that Sayaka would blame me for this. I spent most of the walk gazing at Touko's face, doing fairly pointless things, such as mentally noting each time she took a breath, or each time I could see her twitch ever so slightly.

As we entered the nurse's office, Sayaka placed Touko down on the first empty bed we saw was available before we both approached the nurse's desk in the next room over.

We didn't have to explain much. Apparently a teacher at the gym had already contacted the nurse and explained what happened using the school's phones, so we both walked back to where Touko was to wait for the nurse who would apparently 'be there once she wakes up.' I didn't quite like such a straightforward response in a situation like this, but I guess that can't be helped.

"I… I can't believe this happened," I quietly murmured, looking down at Touko's face longingly. Sayaka turned her head away from me at my words, sighing lightly as she did so.

"Saeki-senpai? What's wrong?" I asked. I was not particularly concerned about Sayaka's well being by asking this, not that I didn't have any concern at all, but it was more to start a conversation, prevent more silent tension between us. Also, I guess it would be better if Touko woke up to the sound of one of our voices, rather that dead silence.

"It's nothing," Sayaka replied after a bit, her tone more dull and saddened than usual. "I just… I guess I predicted that something like this would occur."

My mind went blank. How am I supposed to reply to that. The awkward, silent tension came back tenfold, this time neither of us prevented it. The only sound in the room was the hushed sound of Touko breathing, which, in itself, only made this tension grow.

I placed my hand over Touko's and squeezed it gently without even thinking, as if my arm was moving without my mind telling it to. My eyes wandered up towards her face, where I noticed her eyelashes twitch slightly. I squeezed her hand slightly harder, which caused her eyelids to crack open ever so slightly, still remaining nearly closed.

"Yuu?" She muttered in a hushed tone, her tired, glossy eyes meeting mine. Sayaka, who had also noticed that Touko had awoken and was looking down at her, quickly shot her head up towards me. A reaction to hearing Touko use my first name, I assume.

Sayaka's sudden movement caused Touko to look in her direction, before her eyes began to wander back and forth between us, widening more with each glance. She then pulled the sheets up, using them to cover her now fear stricken face.

"T… Touko! What's wrong–"

"Senpai!"

"The… the whole school, everyone… watched… that," she muttered, cutting off both me and Sayaka. I looked down at her longingly.

That's exactly like her to worry about something as unnecessary as that. But then again, of course she'd be worried about anything involving the image of herself that the student body sees.

I reached down, gently pulling the covers down from Touko's face, smiling at her once we made eye contact. She didn't smile back, but her fearsome expression morphed into a slightly more content, relaxed one.

Just then, I could hear footsteps approaching as the nurse entered. She was slightly taller than Sayaka, and, although she offered us a kind smile, she still had a slightly intimidating presence.

"How do you feel?" She asked Touko, slipping a small thermometer into her mouth.

"...fine, I guess," Touko muttered in response, the words slightly messy and incoherent due to the thermometer still in her mouth.

After a few seconds, she took the thermometer out of Touko's mouth, examining it with her eyes slightly squinted to make out the small numbers.

"38.5. Fairly low, with all things considered," she said, more to herself than to me or Sayaka.

"Well, you should rest for a bit before you can leave," the nurse said before slowly exiting the room.

Sayaka looked down at Touko, gaining a slightly curious expression from her once the two made eye contact.

"Hey, Touko? When's the last time you've eaten anything? You haven't had lunch the past few days, so I was… worried." Sayaka asked. I was confused by the slight hesitation in her voice, but decided to overlook it.

"I had dinner two nights ago, but I don't think I've eaten anything since," Touko muttered, the shock that formed on her face proved that she was only just realizing this now. I felt my eyes widening, concern began to paint my face once again. Sayaka's reaction was nearly identical to my own.

"You can't do that to yourself, Touko! That's probably why you fainted, you have to eat something," Sayaka said, nearly chastising the poor girl. I frantically rummaged through my bag and pulled out the protein bar I had planned on eating while walking to the student council room this afternoon.

"Here, eat this. I know it's not much, but it's better than nothing," I said, placing it on top of Touko's open hand. She tightened her grip around it gently, before gazing up at me, smiling ever so slightly.

Touko sat up slowly, slightly struggling to do so but refusing help from either of us. Once she was upright, she fumbled with the wrapping for upwards of a minute before giving up and handing it to me, giggling nervously as she did so.

I opened it swiftly before handing it back to her. She blankly stared at it for a bit before taking a tiny bite from the side. She gulped it down harshly, coughing a few times before hesitantly taking another bite. It felt strange to watch someone eat, but would feel more strange to purposefully look away.

Once Touko finished, she crinkled the wrapper up into a tight fist before dropping it into the trash bin beside her bed, sighing lightly. She then looked up at me, her mostly neutral face began to show the slightest determination.

"Can we go back to class now?" she asked, her face looked slightly eager, but her voice sounded anything but that.

"You'd have to ask the nurse, but don't push yourself too hard," Sayaka replied, a sad smile painting her face. Touko heaved a sigh before smiling back lightly.

"I'll be fine, I feel much better," Touko replied almost nonchalantly, her smile never wavering. She gently swung her legs off the bed and stood up shakily, pausing for a while and taking a deep breath to steady herself once she was standing.

I walked towards Touko and placed my hand on top of hers, gripping it gently. She squeezed back tightly and smiled at me, while I had been grinning like an idiot nearly the entire time since our hands touched.

We walked towards the other room, where the nurse was sitting at her desk, typing something on a laptop. We notified her that we were leaving, and to Sayaka's and my surprise she allowed Touko to return to class.

Once we walked out into the hallway, I had to go the exact opposite way that they did, my class was all the way on the other side of school.

"See you tomorrow!" I called out to Touko, waving lightly. I said this in more of a direct way than I initially intended, in my mind I just hoped that she wouldn't force herself to go to student council today, which is probably why it came out that way.

The rest of the school day dragged on the same as any day would. I could barely pay attention in class, I was too distracted thinking, or more so worrying, about Touko.

As the final bell rang, undoubtedly saving me from my boredom, I left the main school building to head towards the student council room. My mind wandered as I walked, to the point where I didn't even realize I was already standing directly in front of the doorway.

I opened the door with slight caution, although I had no reason to do so. So far, the only other person there other than myself was Maki, he waved at me lightly. I walked over and sat down in the seat across the table from him.

"Someone finally came! It was a little strange to be here alone, seeing as Nanami-senpai and Saeki-senpai usually come much earlier than us," Maki exclaimed, smiling lightly.

"Where's Doujima-kun, then? Don't you usually walk with him," I asked, trying to keep the conversation going, and avoid the awkward silence I'd had to deal with far too much already today.

"Well, he's off doing something with friends from his class," Maki replied with a sigh. "I guess he'll take any excuse to slack off."

"Yeah, that does sound like him," I replied nonchalantly, with a slight grin.

Our conversation ends here, as the front door creaks slightly and we both turn our attention to it. Sayaka enters the room, with Touko about a step behind. My eyes widen, I try to hide the concerned expression that was most likely painting my face.

"Nanami-senpai? I wasn't expecting you to show up," Maki said before I had the chance to speak, but mouthing my thoughts exactly. Touko smiled lightly in response, and from what I could tell it was genuine, she wasn't trying to hide anything from us.

"I was feeling better, so there was no reason not to," she replied, giggling slightly before adding, "although I can think of someone who would take any opportunity they could get to not show up."

We all laughed slightly, Doujima's irresponsibleness was pretty much turning into a running joke of sorts with how little he was starting to show up.

The rest of the meeting went by without a hitch, we didn't have any upcoming events to talk about, so most of the time was spent typing on the computer or trying to organize the library. Touko seemed completely fine, but that didn't stop me from still being worried enough to request ending the meeting a bit early. Sayaka agreed before Touko had the chance to respond, and soon we were all on our way.

Once Touko and I were far enough from the school campus that I could ensure no one would overhear us, I attempted to get one last assurance for myself that Touko was alright.

"Are you sure you're okay? I know you said you were, but that was in front of everyone and…" I soon noticed I was rambling, and took a deep breath before resurfacing my thoughts and adding, "you don't have to hide anything from me, Touko-senpai."

Touko blushed slightly, but got over it a lot quicker than I thought, and just when I was expecting what would've been the millionth 'I'm fine,' of these past few days, she averted her gaze to the side and actually muttered out a genuine response.

"I wasn't lying when I said I felt better. I do still have a headache, but it's most likely from hitting my head, rather than any remaining fever. I assure you I'm fine…"

I wanted to say something in return, but my arms and legs seemed to move before my mouth could as I led Touko to a nearby park bench under an awning. To my surprise, she didn't protest much, not even commenting on it until we were seated.

"Yuu! What are you—"

"It's my job to massage it away!" I said, quickly drifting my hands up to her temples and pressing my fingers against them lightly before slowly adding more pressure.

"Just let me know if I'm hurting you, okay?"

Touko sighed contently, and she nuzzled her head comfortably against my chest.

"Mm, no… it feels better already."

After hearing that, I continued the same procedure from last night, rubbing my fingers around her temples lightly, intently listening for the cute moans that would escape Touko's lips. Once I was finished I moved hands to string through her hair soothingly, until I was so certain she was about to fall asleep…

And then I realized just how much time had passed. Touko needed to get home, she couldn't worry her family like that two nights in a row. And I certainly wasn't looking forward to the chastising my mother would throw at me once I returned home. So I abruptly stopped, my hands stilled.

"Touko-senpai? It's pretty late, we should get going."

"Aww. A few more minutes?" Touko replied, pouting lightly as she closed her eyes and buried her face into my chest.

"N-no, you need to get home," I replied, stuttering lightly because oh my gosh that pout was too adorable.

Touko groaned uncontently before begrudgingly sitting up, her eyes fluttering open. I was relieved to see that any remnants of a feverish glaze had faded, her eyes shimmering in the same beautiful way I had missed so much these past few days.

I was the first to stand up off the bench before grabbing Touko's hand to help her onto her feet. Our hands stayed together for the rest of the walk, only letting go once we reached that dreaded corner where we would have to part ways.

"Thanks for everything today, Yuu! See you tomorrow," Touko called out, smiling widely.

"Of course! See you tomorrow, senpai!"

I waved back to her one last time before turning and walking home. As I walked home, there was a new pep in my step that hadn't been there before. It was strange, but very appealing. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face the whole way home.

I wonder what tomorrow will bring…

**_Sorry I took so long to update. I've had quite a busy summer and I also put this fic on the back burner while writing other ones. This chapter has been finished for a while, but I've had to keep editing it because I just don't like it. I still don't, and I hope you can forgive how bad it is. The next one should be out eventually, but I update so infrequently you should probably be expecting it in the next year :)_**

**_Thanks for sticking with me!_**


End file.
